SKorea rejects Boeing, says F-15 not good enough

Associated Press

Associated Press

Updated 3:15 pm, Tuesday, September 24, 2013

A protester raises a card reading: "No! F-15SE" during a rally against a meeting of senior military officers to choose South Korea's next-generation fighter jets as a military policeman stands guard in front of the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013. South Korea says it is delaying selection of a winning bidder to build 60 new fighter jets in a multibillion dollar weapons project. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) ORG XMIT: SEL101

A protester raises a card reading: "No! F-15SE" during a rally...

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, left, bangs a gavel to preside over a meeting of senior military officers to choose South Korea's next-generation fighter jets at the ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013. South Korea says it is delaying selection of a winning bidder to build 60 new fighter jets in a multibillion dollar weapons project. (AP Photo/ Korea Pool via Yonhap) KOREA OUT ORG XMIT: SEL802

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, left, bangs a gavel to...

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin presides over a meeting of senior military officers to choose South Korea's next-generation fighter jets at the ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013. South Korea says it is delaying selection of a winning bidder to build 60 new fighter jets in a multibillion dollar weapons project. (AP Photo/Korea Pool via Yonhap) KOREA OUT ORG XMIT: SEL801

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin presides over a meeting...

A protester attaches a card reading: "Stop to choose next-generation fighter jets" on a gate as a military policeman tries to block him during a rally against a meeting of senior military officers to choose South Korea's next-generation fighter jets in front of the Defense Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013. South Korea says it is delaying selection of a winning bidder to build 60 new fighter jets in a multibillion dollar weapons project. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) ORG XMIT: SEL102

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea on Tuesday rejected Boeing Co.'s bid to supply 60 fighter jets in the country's largest-ever weapons purchase even though it was the sole remaining bidder, and said it would reopen the tender.

Boeing had offered its F-15 Silent Eagle, but South Korean critics have said the warplane lacks state-of-the-art stealth capabilities and cannot effectively cope with North Korea's increasing nuclear threats.

Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said officials decided at a meeting Tuesday to delay naming a winning bidder for the 8.3 trillion won ($7.7 billion) purchase, and would restart the bidding process at an early date.

He said South Korea must have better air power in line with an international trend to develop "fifth generation" fighters, and said the rejection of Boeing's bid was made in consideration of North Korea's nuclear weapons program and other factors. Ministry officials said he was referring to a warplane with cutting-edge radar-evading stealth functions which Boeing's plane does not have.

Boeing said in a statement that it was "deeply disappointed" by Tuesday's decision, adding it "rigorously" followed the South Korean arms procurement agency's instructions throughout the entire process.

The F-35 jet, which has been plagued by schedule delays and cost overruns, is widely regarded as a much more advanced and capable aircraft than its predecessors.

Japan announced in 2011 that it would buy 42 F-35 jets in a deal expected to cost more than $5 billion. Japan hopes to receive its first F-35s in 2016, at a cost of about $120 million per plane. But last year it threatened to cancel the multibillion-dollar deal if prices continue to rise or delays threaten the delivery date.